News

2018.07. 3D-Printed Plastic X-Ray Optics

X-ray optics are used in telescopes (Wolter telescope), X-ray microscopes (X-ray reflection microscope), and medical devices. Besides, they are an essential part of synchrotron beamlines and serve to ensure that the beam quality delivered to the sample is optimal. However, high‐performance focusing of X‐rays requires the realization of very challenging 3D geometries with nanoscale features, sub‐millimeter‐scale apertures, and high aspect ratios.

To address this geometrical complexity, we have recently developed a new method for 3D printing of high‐performance X-ray optics out of low‐loss plastics. Direct X‐ray imaging and ptychography experiments demonstrate superior focusing performance. An extended concept for on‐chip integration of various X‐ray optics toward high‐fidelity control of X‐ray wavefronts is proposed. Initial results establish new, advanced focusing optics for applications ranging from materials science to medicine.

2017.03. 3D-microdevice for minimally invasive surgery

A tiny robot that gets into the human body through the simple medical injection and, passing healthy organs, finds and treats directly the goal – a non-operable tumor… Doesn’t it sound at least like science-fiction? To make it real, we are now working towards this direction with the prospect of transforming many aspects of healthcare and bioengineering in the nearest future. What makes it not so easy are unique challenges pertaining to design, fabrication and encoding functionality in producing functional microdevices.

To this end, here we develop a new two-step approach to provide the microrobotic devices with desirable functions. The first step uses three-dimensional (3D) laser lithography to crosslink light-responsive polymers.